Shade-holding device.



No. 794,937. PATENTBD JULY 18, 1905.

c. L. HOPKINS.

SHADE HOLDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 1 2, 1903.

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UNITED STATES Patented July 18, 1905.

PATENT OEEIcE.

CHARLES L. HOPKINS,

OF ALBANY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE CUR- or NEW JERSEY.

SHADE-HOLDING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 794,937, dated July 18, 1905.

I Application filed September 12, 1903. Serial No. 172,930.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. HOPKINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shade-Holding Devices, of which this is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in that class of devices which are designed to be secured to the lower edge of a spring-actuated shade or curtain to guide the same and to maintain it at any desired point of adjustment against the tendency of the spring shaderoller to wind it up.

More particularly this invention relates to that class of shade-holding devices wherein are employed flexible guidessuch as cords,

tapes, or the likefor guiding the shade and for holding it in adjusted positions.

The objects of this invention are to provide a device of the class described which is of simple construction, which may be readily manipulated by inexperienced persons, which is positive in its action, and which permits the shade to be readily removed from the windowframe and replaced.

To this end I employ a tubular shade-stick carried in a pocket at the lower edge of the shade in the usual manner. I also provide a pair of flexible guides, preferably steel tapes, and secure an end of each to the windowframe at its lower part, one on each side. These tapes are carried upwardly along the window-frame to the ends of the stick which they enter, passing preferably over wheels or rollers supported in the ends of the stick. Within the stick means are provided for drawing the tapes into the stick as the shade is drawn down and for permitting these tapes to be drawn out of the stick as the shade is moving upwardly. The means which I prefer to employ for this purpose consist of a winding-drum upon which the tapes wind, one over the other, from opposite sides as these tapes come in at the ends of the stick and a spring tending to rotate the drum in the direction to wind up the tapes. Means are also provided whereby the winding-drum is frictionally retarded in its rotation in one direcbut is permitted to rotate freely in the opposite direction. The object of this will be explained below. Means are also provided whereby the tapes are detachably secured to the window-frame.

The shade is held in a taut or tense condition by reason of its being held between two springs, the spring of the shade-roller tending to rotate the shade-roller and draw up the shade and the drumrotating spring in the stick tending to wind up the tapes and draw the lower part of the shade down.

In the accompanying drawings the combination of parts which I prefer to employ for carrying out my invention is shown, in which- Figure 1 is a face view of a window-frame having a shade fitted therein, the shade being provided with my improved shade-holdingdevice. Parts of the window-casing are cut away, exposing to view the ends of the stick and the flexible guides. The shade-stick is shown in section. Fig. 2 is a broken longitudinal section of a part of the stick, taken on the line 00 a: of Fig. 1, looking downwardly, the mechanism within the stick being in elevation. Fig. 3 is a broken elevation of the middle portion of the stick, parts being in section. Fig. 4 is a broken vertical section on the line 2 e of Fig. 2, parts of the stick being in elevation, showing the winding-drum and tapes winding thereon, with the spring for rotating the drum. Fig. 5 is abroken longitudinal section on the line y y of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an elevation of the winding-drum. Figs. 7 and 8 show the method of detachably securingthe ends of the tapes to the windowcasing.

In the several figures 10 is the curtain or shade winding upon the spring actuated roller 11. This roller is of the type usually employed upon shades for railway-cars and exerts a constant tendency upon the shade to wind up the latter. This roller 11 is supported in the window-frame 12. At the lower edge of the shade and carried in a pocket 13 is the tubular shade-stick 14:, at each end of which is a roller or wheel 15, over which run the flexible guides 16 and 16. These flexible guides are secured at one end to the windowtion,

frame 12 at the lower part of the same in a manner presently to be described. From the point at which a guide is secured to the window-frame it passes upwardly to the end of the stick 14 and enters the end of the stick, running over the wheel 15, as stated. Within the tube 14, at a point about midway between the ends of the same, is the device for winding up the guides, consisting of the winding-drum 17 and the spring 18 within the Winding-drum. These parts are inclosed in a cylindrical casing or box 19, having the openings 20 and 20 at opposite points. The flexible guides 16 and 16 pass into the box 19 through these openings 20 and 20 and wind upon the windingdrum 17 from opposite sides, one overthe other.

' The spring 18 is secured at one end to the drum 17 and at its other end to the post 21, which does not rotate. The tendency of this spring 18 is to rotate the drum in the direction to wind up the tapes. It will be seen that the tapes must be wound up evenly and equally and that if one of the tapes be drawn out the drum will be rotated against the force of the spring 18, and the same length of the other tape will be unwound. If the stick be grasped at any point, either at one end or at a point between its ends, and be moved up or down, the device must always ascend or descend in a horizontal position, because the tapes 16 and 16 will be wound up or let out at the same time and to the same extent.

It is evident that the lower edge of the shade must be parallel'to the roller upon which the shade winds, provided the tapes are of the a same length and the opposite vertical edges of the curtain are of the same length.

7 dow-frame.

One of the difficulties which have to be overcome in constructing a shade-holding device employing tapes, cords, or the like for guiding the shade-stick is that of providing means whereby the shade may be removed from the window-frame for cleaning or other purposes. In the device herein shown this difliculty may be easily overcome by securing the guides to the window-frame in such a Way that they may be readily detached therefrom and by providing means for preventing the guides from being drawn too far into the stick when these guides are released from their fastenings. A simple method of doing this isshown in the drawings. In Figs. 7 and 8 is shown a tape 16, having secured thereto a ring 22. A screw 23 is inserted into the wooden win- The ring 22 is of such a shape that it may be passed over the headof the screw 23, but will slip up under the head of the screw when an upward pull is applied to the tape. It may be found desirable to turn the screw 23 tightly down upon the ring 22 to prevent meddlesome persons from detaching the'tapes; but this is not necessary to the proper working of the device. In any case the tapes and their rings may be readily detached from the window-casing by persons authorized to do so. When the tapes are detached from their fastenings, the tendency of the tape-winding device within the stick is to from the window-frame there are no tapes or cords left dangling from the ends of the stick,

as is the case in some constructions, and that there are no tapes or cords or other parts left in place with the exception of two screws. If

one of the tapes should become stretched, an

adjustment of the device may be very readily made by simply unhooking one of the guides,

taking out the screw 23, inserting the screw in a new place, a little above or below its former position, as required, and hooking ,on the guide again.

It is a well-known fact that as a shade mounted upon a spring-roller is drawn down the tendency of the shade to run up increases,

so that when the shade is drawn down to its full length it requires more force to hold it downthan when it is drawn down but a small part of its length. When the shade-holding device herein shown is applied to long shades,

it is found that if a tape-winding spring be employed sufiiciently strong to hold the shade when the latter is drawn down to its full length this spring will be too strong when the shade is pushed up and there will be a tendency for the shade to run down. To overcome this difiiculty, I. provide means whereby a tape-winding spring may be used which is not strong enough to draw the shade down. The winding-drum 17is provided with the projections 25 around its edge. Upon the drum 17 is placed the washer 26, and upon this washer isplaced the flat spring 27, made of thin sheet metal. A screw 28, passing through the spring 27 and washer 26, holds these parts in place and may be screwed down to create any desired amount of friction between these pieces. As the drum rotates in the direction to wind up the tapes the projections 25 pass under the spring 27 and the drum is not retarded in its rotation; but if the drum be rotated in the opposite direction the flat spring 27 is caught by theprojections 25 and carried around with the drum, the

drum being thus frictionally retarded in its rotation in the direction to let out the tapes..

IIO

It will be seen that the tape-windingspring 18 is assisted in resisting-the drawing out of the tapesby this friction device, and dependence is not placed wholly upon the spring 18 to hold' the shade down.

It will be observed that there is no friction applied upon the tapes to hold the curtain down, there being merely an endwise pull upon the tapes. This is not destructive of the tapes. The tapes do not pass around small pulleys or over projections and are not bent sharply, which is a disadvantage of some older forms of shade-holding devices employing tapes or cords, causing these tapes or cords to break after being in use a short time.

I claim- 1. In a shade-holding device, the combination with the shade, of a window-frame adjacent thereto, a shade-stick, a winding-drum carried by the stick, means for rotating the winding-drum, a flexible guide winding upon said winding-drum and having its end secured to the Window-frame below the shade, for the purpose set forth. 4

2. In a shade-holding device, the combination with the shade of a window-frame adjacent to the shade, a hollow stick carried by the shade, a flexible guide having its end secured to the window-frame below the shade, and means for drawing the guide into the stick as the shade is drawn down, for the purpose set forth.

3. In a device for guiding and holding spring-actuated shades, the combination with a window-casing and a shade mounted therein of a flexible member having its end secured to the window-casing adjacent to the shade, and spring-actuated means carried by the shade and moving therewith for taking up said flexible member as the shade is drawn down, for the purpose set forth.

4. In a device for holding spring-actuated shades, the combination with the windowframe and the shade, of a stick carried by the shade, a winding-drum carried by the stick, means for rotating the winding-drum, and a pair of flexible guides winding upon said winding-drum and secured at opposite sides of the Window-frame, for the purpose set forth.

5. In a shade-holding device, the combination with a shade and a Window-frame adjacent thereto, of a shade-stick, a flexible member for guiding and holding the shade, a ring secured to the flexible member, a fasteningscrew inserted into the window-frame through the ring, and means carried by the shade-stick for taking up the flexible member when the latter is released from its fastening-screw, for the purposes set forth.

6. In a shade-holding device, the combination with a stick carried by the shade, of flexible guides extending into the stick, and automatic means for drawing the guides into the stick when the said guides are detached from their fastenings.

7. In a shade-holding device, the combination of a stick carried by the shade, a flexible guide for guiding said stick, rotative means carried by the stick for taking up said guide, and means whereby said rotative means may have greater freedom of rotation in one direction than in the other direction.

8. In a shade-holding device, the combination with a stick and a flexible guide for guid ing the stick, of a rotative member engaging said guide and having greater freedom of rotation in one direction than in the other direction, for the purpose set forth.

9. In a shade-holding device, the combination with a Window-frame and a shade mounted therein, of a stick carried by the shade, a flexible guide detachably secured to the window-frame and extending to the stick, and automatic means carried by the stick for gathering up said flexible guide when said guide is detached from the Window-frame.

10. In a shade-holding device, the combination with a window-frame and ashade mounted therein, of a stick carried by the shade, a tape having one of its ends secured to the windoW-frame and its other end secured within the stick, and automatic means whereby the length of the portion of the tape which is within the stick is varied as moved up and down.

11. In a shade-holding device, the combination with a stick carried by the shade, of a flexible guide having a portion of its length within the stick and a portion of its length without the stick, and automatic means for varying the relative lengths of the said portions as the stick is moved up or down.

In testimony whereof have signed my name the shade is to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

CHARLES L. HOPKINS. Witnesses:

E. P. KNAPP, E. G. HorKINs. 

